5 Movies That Killed Actors Careers

07.04.17

Every actor can be in a bad film; even Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had Righteous Kill. But more often than not, these are missteps are merely blips on the radar amidst a prolonged run of success. Then there are those who star in one bad feature and see their Hollywood dreams come crashing back down to Earth. Here are Screen Rant’s 5 Movies That Killed Actors’ Careers.

Attack of the Clones

Hayden Christensen was coming off a Golden Globe nod for his acclaimed turn in Life as a House, so playing Anakin Skywalker in the final two Star Wars prequels was his ticket to the mainstream, right? There’s some debate as to whether it was Christensen’s acting abilities or George Lucas’ poor writing that turned the actor into one of the most reviled figures in the franchise, but there’s no denying he was never the same after complaining about the roughness of sand. Though he has lent his talents to smaller films, he hasn’t headlined a major picture since Jumper in 2008. His career certainly turned to the Dark Side.

Showgirls

Looking to shed her Saved by the Bell good girl persona, Elizabeth Berkley teamed up with shock master Paul Verhoeven for Showgirls, an exploration of the seedy world of strip clubs. The film generated a lot of attention for being the first widely released NC-17 film and in the end it turned out to be all hype. Critics considered it tasteless and non-sexy despite its raunchy subject matter, and the generic script and wooden acting couldn’t get it past the “guilty pleasure” stage. It has a cult following now, but at the time of its release, Showgirls was heavily derived, “winning” a then-record seven Razzies and failing to earn back its budget at the box office.

Boat Trip

Jerry Maguire put Cuba Gooding, Jr. on the map and his meteoric rise to stardom was matched by how quickly he fell. After a vengeful travel agent purposely books Jerry Robinson and his friend Nick on a gays single cruise, the two heterosexuals are forced to pretend they’re gay just so they can get close to the boat’s dance instructor. Accused of being homophobic and embracing juvenile stereotypes, Boat Trip found new and interesting ways to offend viewers of any sexual orientation. Though Jerry does learn to view the world in a better light, this film certainly isn’t as progressive as one might have hoped.

I Know Who Killed Me

We think we know what killed Lindsay Lohan’s career. Looking for a change-of-pace after Mean Girls, Lohan settled on this horror/thriller about a serial killer victim who claims she is someone else when found alive. That’s potentially a meaty role, but this film was hampered by a ludicrous plot that failed to hold audiences’ interest. Many saw it as trashy and distasteful, and thought that nothing in the plot gave the movie any suspense. Instead of embracing a B-movie campy tone, director Chris Siverston tried to inject it with artistic sensibilities, which only made matters worse. Lohan never became the serious actress she wanted to be, and has had trouble finding work ever since.

The Love Guru

Mike Myers is one of the biggest names in comedy, but even he isn’t untouchable. The Love Guru was a critical and commercial bomb that faded the funnyman into obscurity. The consensus was that the film relied too much on thin gross-out gags instead of genuine humor to get its laughs, creating a movie that was crass and repulsive. Finding much of its “humor” in poking fun at Indian dialect and religious beliefs, the film was also deemed culturally insensitive to the Hindu people by many who saw it. Obscene and offensive, The Love Guru will make you question if you’ll ever laugh at a comedy again.